The invention relates to an illuminated, waterproof and dust-proof switching element for converting a linear movement of a push button into an electrical switching signal.
Illuminated, waterproof and dust-proof switching elements are already used in many variants in vehicle construction and are thus generally known.
EP 2 175 462 A1 describes a sealed switch for converting the linear movement of a push button into an electrical switching signal, having a housing by which the push button is supported, said push button being held in the interior of said housing in an axially movable manner, having a baffle which is securely connected to the push button, and having a protective cap which is made of a flexible plastic material and which covers the baffle and seals it off from the outside; the interior of the switch is said to be encapsulated in an airtight and watertight manner and the switching characteristic upon actuation of the push button is said to be configured so as to be as uniform as possible over the entire stroke path. Due to the fact that the protective cap is pretensioned, since the baffle is curved outward in the manner of a dome or hemisphere counter to the direction of movement of the switch, a uniform switching characteristic is produced since, immediately upon actuation of the protective cap, the baffle is already pressed out of its starting position. While the protective cap and the baffle are moved in the direction of the switching contact, no actuating forces of different magnitude have to be applied, since the protective cap is moved between a top and a bottom stretching point so that no additional restoring forces occur as a result of overstretching of the protective cap. Furthermore, a joint-free curved surface of the protective cap is obtained, so that there is nowhere for dirt to accumulate and moreover wiping is easily possible. In addition, due to the pretension that exists, the protective cap has no integral moldings, beads or the like that may serve as a place for dirt particles to accumulate.
An electrical switch is known from DE 10 2008 034 046 A1. The electrical switch is located in a housing provided with an opening. A contact system is located inside the housing, and provided on the housing is an actuating member in the form of a rocker, which protrudes at least partially out of the housing and produces a switching effect on the contact system. A bellows-type seal is attached at one end to the actuating member and at the other end to the housing, such that the seal substantially covers the opening. The actuating member consists of two parts, an inner rocker and an outer rocker, wherein the seal is clamped between the two parts and is thus integrated in the actuating member.